CHAPTER 24
Though she tried to rest, Jenz could not force her mind to stop the freight train of thought from continuing to barrel along at a break-neck pace. Prim had suggested that she take Thad’s bed, a suggestion that was more than welcome, and she had immediately rested her head upon the lumpy pillow. She’d laid awake for what seemed like hours with the entire apartment blanketed in silence, and she could only hope that the others were getting more rest than she was.
She’d hoped that Cliff and Maggie would have returned by now, and was anxious to find out if they were successful in their mission. It wasn’t until that moment that she’d begun to question herself about how they would be able to relay their message. She knew that they wouldn’t be able to risk bringing them to the side of the living. That would exert far too much power and would surely send a signal to Isaac of their location. The only alternative was to risk the brief pulse of shifting to the other side, their side. It was the only way.
In a twist of irony, she suddenly felt a shift of energy from within the apartment; a sudden light knock came on the bedroom door, causing her to flinch.
“Jenz?” questioned Lauren’s voice. “Are you awake?”
She opened her eyes, surprised by the lack of light that was coming through the bedroom window. She’d been lying there longer than she’d once thought and the late afternoon sun was beginning to fade. She pushed herself up onto her elbows as she peered blurrily to Lauren.
“Yes, I’m awake. What is it?” she asked.
“They’ve returned.”
Jenz shot to the side of the bed, throwing her legs over abruptly. “They haven’t….”
“No,” interrupted Lauren. “They’re still on the other side. I’m assuming that Alyssa caught them before they entered the building and they’re waiting on your instructions.”
“Good girl,” Jenz muttered to herself as she stood from the bed.
The pull from the next room continued to grow as walked out into the hallway, and she was hopefully that it signified Cliff and Maggie’s success. As she followed Lauren into the main room, she was greeted by weary eyes from both Prim and Test. It didn’t look as though either of them fared any better than she at getting some sleep.
Stepping to the center of the room, just behind the couch, she addressed the room. “Welcome, friends.” She looked in the general direction of the area that held the strongest pull on her torso. “It is too dangerous for us to bring you to this side, so I will come to you.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, is it?” asked Test, his voice full of concern.
“She’s right,” replied Prim. “It’s the only way. She’s the fastest and will provide the least amount of risk.”
Jenz turned to him and, with a thoughtful look, disappeared in a quick flash of light.
****
Test stood from the recliner as Lauren took a seat next to Prim on the couch. He watched as the two of them intertwined their fingers as Lauren rested her head on his shoulder. A wave of jealousy ran through him, wishing that he could have Alyssa’s comfort as he began to pace the floor.
After a couple of moments of watching Test’s anxiety play out, Lauren spoke. “Why don’t you sit down.”
“I’m fine,” he replied, turning to retrace the steps he’d just taken.
“I’m not asking for your well-being,” she answered sharply. “You’re driving me….” She stopped as Prim squeezed her hand. Biting her tongue, she shot Prim a scornful look, but was pleased to watch Test proceed to the kitchen table and pull out a chair.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about all of this?” asked Test, partially hidden from the others’ view.
Prim leaned forward, craning his neck around to make eye contact with Test, and replied with a wavering voice. “Try to stay positive. We’ll know more in a few minutes. Until then, we should try to stay positive.”
Lauren squeezed Prim’s hand this time and waited for him to turn back to her before she shot him a questioning look. “That didn’t sound very convincing.” His only response was to shrug his shoulders.
“How are we going to know if Isaac gets Nicole?” asked Test, standing from the table and walking back to the main room.
Acknowledging his reasonable line of thought, Prim replied in an honest manner. “I’m sure that Isaac already knows that we’re on to him. I don’t know how exactly, but I have no doubt that he’ll make it known.”
The tension in the room mounting, Lauren leaned forward and grabbed the television remote from the coffee table. “Who’s up for some T.V.?” she asked in an exaggerated cheerful voice. The medium sized flat screen came to life, revealing a show about the plight of the Amazon, and she quickly changed the channel. “Nope, this room is already a downer, don’t need anything adding to it now, do we?” She scanned through several channels and stopped on a popular game show. “That’s better,” she said as she tossed the remote to her side. “Who doesn’t like a game show?”
Prim placed his arm on the back of the couch behind Lauren’s neck as she nuzzled into his chest. He wondered if she could hear how violently his heart was pounding; it felt as though it should be bouncing her head in rhythm with each beat.
The three of them watched inattentively through several ins and outs of commercial breaks until finally, behind them, a flash of light signified Jenz’s return.
Test promptly stepped in front of her, barely giving her time to focus. “How many?” he asked hastily.
Holding up her palms, she tried to calm him. “Control, Test. Remember, control.”
Test closed his eyes and took a deep breath as a bead of sweat already trickled down his forehead. “I’m fine,” he replied. “How many?”
Jenz looked over his shoulder and motioned to the kitchen. “Why don’t we all take a seat at the table and I’ll share with you what I’ve learned.”
Not sure if he liked the sound of her words, Test hesitated for a moment before turning towards the kitchen. Prim and Lauren followed as they each pulled out a chair.
“The good news is that they have returned with eighteen,” said Jenz.
“That’s great!” exclaimed Test. “That’s two more than we needed.”
Jenz pinched her eyes closed, trying not to become frustrated with Test’s excitement. “Yes, you are right. They have done well.”
Test angled his head, not understanding why her voice sounded so sullen. “What’s the bad news?” he asked reluctantly.
Tracing a figure eight on the table top with her finger nail, Jenz swallowed once before answering. “I’m afraid that we may have shown our hand. The possibility exists that Isaac knows we are here and knew ahead of our arriving that we had lost the girl.”
“But how?” asked Test as he slunk back in his chair.
“Test,” answered Prim. “I in no way mean this to harm you, so I sincerely hope that you don’t take it that way.” He stopped, choosing his words carefully. “In your past, there are those who unfortunately lost their life by your hand; is that correct?”
A waft of anger flashed in Test’s eyes. “Yes, but I….”
“I—we—understand,” Prim interrupted as he glanced to both Lauren and Jenz, “that it was never your intention to take anyone’s life, but the fact of the matter is that it happened. Now, we have to take into account the possibility that any one of those souls could have taken the opportunity to exact some revenge upon you.”
As he glared at the table top, Test’s legs bounced nervously. “Okay,” he began. “I understand what you’re saying. What I don’t understand is what’s making you think that Isaac knows that we’re even here. What happened to staying positive?”
Prim looked to Jenz who nodded her head in approval of what he was about to say. He looked back to Test. “When we arrived, I felt a surge of energy within the city. I’m sure it was a Shadow, more specifically, a Reaper.” He stared at Test, waiting for an eruption as the information sank in, but it never came.
“The fact of the ma
tter is that we can’t be certain of anything in regards to Isaac’s whereabouts or what he intends to do next,” said Jenz, keeping a cautious eye on Test. “All that we can do is finalize our plan and hope that we don’t have to put it into action, that Nicole will be found by us first.”
Test straightened himself in his chair. “And how are we going to know?” he asked. “She won’t be coming back to this place,” he spoke motioning to their surroundings. “Hell, we don’t know if she’s even coming back to Kansas City.”
Placing a hand upon his bouncing thigh, Jenz patted it gently and spoke in a soft, comforting voice. “Again, we can’t focus on things that we aren’t sure of.”
“Alright then, what can we focus on? What’s the plan?” Test replied.
“I’m afraid the best that I can tell you right now is that we have enough spirits to act as shields if we have to confront Isaac. Outside of that, Cliff said that he will send someone to go to Nicole’s apartment and wait for her there. If she shows up, then we regroup and plan a pre-emptive attack.”
“No more hiding?” asked Test angrily through clenched teeth.
Jenz shook her head, her white hair flowing in waves as she replied. “No more hiding.”
****
The day had completely faded into night. Lauren slept peacefully with her head resting on Prim’s lap, while the remaining three Shadows tried to pretend that they each watched the television. The truth was that the reruns of police chase type shows bled into one another, and the commercials were equally as uneventful.
The long arm of the clock mounted on the wall above the entertainment center moved painfully slow. Test could have sworn that the second hand actually stopped on several occasions.
Mercifully, sleep finally came. Though it was a short visit, the few hours of bliss was something that he had desperately needed. Test’s eyes opened to the morning light as it streamed in through window, the thin material used as curtains appearing nearly transparent against the illumination. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room, noticing the clock now read ten o’clock. He counted bodies. Jenz must have retired to Thad’s room again, and Prim still sat in the same spot, his head laying back and his mouth agape while Lauren’s cheek rested firmly on his left thigh. It felt for all the world like when he was a kid, waking up at a slumber party after a night of watching movies you weren’t suppose to watch and eating way too much candy.
The light from the television flickered as the screen changed and it caught Test’s eye. He watched the morning news program, yawned a couple of times, and then developed a strong urge for a cup of black coffee. He began to lower the leg rest on the recliner, causing the springs and accordion brackets to creek and groan, and quickly stopped, trying desperately not to wake his family.
“Family,” he thought to himself.
He found it comforting that without any thought at all, the word ‘family’ had entered his mind when thinking of those that he was with. It was amazing to him that after all of the bad that had happened since discovering his powers, the truth was that he enjoyed more of a sense of family than he ever had before.
Leaving the foot rest up, he straddled it and pushed off of one of the armrests to get to his feet. Tip-toeing past Prim and Lauren on the couch, he made his way into the kitchen and stepped to the black plastic coffee maker that sat next to the sink on the counter. Instinctively, he opened the cupboard door above it and could instantly smell the delightful aroma a rich, dark roast coffee. “Ah, I love you, Thad,” he whispered in jest as he pulled the bag of coffee out. Behind the bag was a stack of filters and he hurriedly pulled one apart from the rest. Once the filter was in place, he fed three heaping teaspoons of grounds into its metaphorical mouth and then filled the pot with cool water from the sink.
With the coffee brewing, he took a seat at the table and listened with his eyes closed as the liquid fell into the pot below. He inhaled deeply, savoring every last particle of scent that entered his nose, and smiled in a temporary moment of escape.
As he opened his eyes, he became aware of a spirit that had come close to him. It had been difficult with so many in the apartment to tell where an individual stood, but at the moment, this spirit was the only one even close to Test.
“Hello,” he whispered into the spirits direction. “I don’t know for sure who you are, I’m assuming it’s Alyssa.” He gleamed as he spoke her name, puckering his lips and blowing an exaggerated kiss in the spirit’s direction. As he knew would be the case, and per Jenz’s instruction, there could be no response, but Test could feel the spirit walk past him and towards the counter where the coffee was brewing.
Just as he began to open his mouth, ready to make another light hearted attempt at levity, he saw a shadow begin to come into view. This figure was tall, much taller than Alyssa, and Test watched anxiously as the spirit slowly revealed itself. Seeming to borrow its strength from the coffee pot, a transparent figure came into view. It was a young man, no more than twenty to twenty-one years old, with longer, dark black hair in a style reminiscent of the nineteen-eighties. Test stared into the young man’s eyes and, though he seemed familiar, couldn’t recall how he knew him.
“Good morning,” spoke Test softly, nodding his head.
The spirit nodded back, but without reply.
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, and Test could see that the spirit wore a look of sadness on his face. Unable to get over the feeling that he should know the young man, Test asked, “Do I know you?”
This question seemed to upset the spirit as his eyes seemed to swell with tears and his chin dimpled slightly.
“I’m sorry,” said Test. “I didn’t mean to upset you.” Test looked at him curiously. It was there, but for the life of him he couldn’t see it. Though he didn’t want to cause any more unrest for the spirit, his curiosity pushed him to question further. “You know me though, right?” he asked.
The spirit’s chest swelled as if taking a deep breath. He looked down upon Test, the pain on his face clawing at Test’s insides, and took a step towards him. As he did, his already transparent form faded more with each inch placed between he and the coffee pot. The spirit continued until Test could see nothing more than a black shadow bent over beside him. At that moment he heard a distant whisper in his ear.
“My name is Colby.”
Test’s mind instantly froze at the mention of the name, and he struggled to compose himself as the voice continued.
“I’m your Dad.”
With those three words, Test felt the spirit fall back in the room and amongst the others. He looked in that direction with tears falling down his cheeks. He didn’t understand what he was feeling. He’d never imagined this moment possible. He found it incredibly strange how all his life he had pictured his father as an elder figure. Not old mind you, but no one pictures a parent as being younger than they are. He knew his father had died at a young age, but the reality of just how young was as sobering as anything that had happened to him in the last year.
He longed to speak to him more; he had so many questions, but knew that it wasn’t possible. It was just one more reason for him to remain focused and at the ready. Their time would come.
He stood from the table, poured his first cup of coffee, and inhaled deeply before taking that first glorious sip. As he lowered his cup, he felt the push of a Shadow approach from behind. “Good morning,” he said in a proud, quiet voice.
“Good morning,” replied Jenz as she stepped around him while reaching for a coffee cup which hung on a rack next to the pot. “Did you get some rest?”
“A little,” replied Test as he took another sip. He returned to his seat at the table and smiled as he thought of the morning’s gift.
Jenz sat next to him and, as she raised her cup to her mouth, stopped when she noticed Test’s expression. “You sure seem chipper this morning,” she stated quietly.
“My dad is here,” replied Test, his face glowing proudly.
Taking a
sip, Jenz lowered her cup to her chin as she spoke. “Yes, I know. He introduced himself to me last night.”
“Really?” asked Test, slightly irritated. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“To be honest, I wasn’t sure how you’d take it,” she replied as she placed her cup on the table. “You’ve already got a lot on your plate. I didn’t know if bringing up past tragedies was the best thing.”
“So you know about my dad? How he died?”
“No,” she answered. “But it doesn’t take a great mind to see that he died far before his time.” She paused and studied his face for any adverse reaction, but the grin slowly reappeared the longer the silence went on. “He’s very proud of you, you know?”
“Really?” asked Test. “What did he say?”
Jenz let out a short huff. “He didn’t say anything really, but you can see it in the way he watches you. When I was on the other side, he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. As amazing as he may be to you, I believe you are equally as amazing to him.”
It was a complicated mixture of feelings to—after all this time—a lifetime—to meet his father. His time for reflection was short lived as Prim shouted from the couch.
“Jenz, you’d better see this.”
The tone of his voice sent chills up Test’s spine and as the two stood from the kitchen table, they exchanged terrified looks. They walked into the room as Lauren sat upright on the couch, trying to clear the fog of sleep from her mind. Prim stared at the television while pointing at it.
The image on the screen showed a man in a light gray suit with a maroon tie. He appeared to be in his late twenties; his short light brown hair perfectly combed and his face clean shaven. He stood in the middle of a large room with arms outstretched, his palms blazing with blue and red energy, and to each side a group of small children stuck to each other as if they’d been glued. At the man’s feet lay a body—a thin, pale skinned woman with jet black hair that lightened slightly at the roots.
“No,” muttered Test as a lump the size of a softball developed in his throat. “This can’t be happening.”
The Reverence of One: Book Three of the Shadow Series Page 24